Genre: Urban Fantasy/Multicultural
Description:
“She’s out for vengeance. He’s seeking justice.
Exiled and alone in a strange land, Rhinemaiden Gwen is still
traumatized from her capture and torture by mortal monster hunters. To exorcise
her demons, she doles out vigilante justice on mortal criminals—until former
cop turned private investigator, Kwame Johnson, stops her in her tracks.
Captivating and enigmatic, Kwame is more than another mere mortal, and
he's just beginning to understand the nature of the special sense that helps
him track down missing persons. Gwen can help him reach his full potential, but
can she trust a man who was hired by the monster hunters to track her down?”
Author:
“Award-winning author D.B. Sieders was born and raised in East
Tennessee and spent her childhood hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, wading
barefoot in creeks, and chasing salamanders, fish, and frogs. She and her
family loved to tell stories while sitting around the campfire.
Those days of frog chasing sparked an interest in biology. She is a
working scientist by day, but never lost her love of telling stories. Now,
she’s a purveyor of unconventional fantasy romance featuring strong heroines
and the heroes who strive to match them. Her heroes and heroines face a healthy
dose of angst as they strive for redemption and a happily ever after, which
everyone deserves.
D.B. Sieders lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, two
children, three cats, and her very active imagination.”
Learn more about Ms. Seiders on her website, or stalk her on Facebook.
Appraisal:
River
Spell is the fourth book in the Southern Elemental Guardians series. It
looks like each book is about different related guardians, so I had no problem
jumping into the middle of the series. The world is Earth which is divided and
ruled accordingly in different realms. Gwen is one of the Rhinemaiden sisters, a
mermaid with shapeshifting abilities and other magic. She has exiled herself to
the New World, which is what they call the mortal realm, because she doesn’t
feel like she fits in her own domain. However, she still protects her river.
It’s during one of those acts that Gwen meets Kwame, an ex-police officer
turned PI. Kwame recognizes energy levels, which he doesn’t fully understand,
but has never led him wrong. So he is aware that Gwen is something other than
how she appears.
The plot is original and flows at a good pace. The characters are well
developed. Gwen and Kwame are both flawed, and seeking their own purposes in
life. The storyline follows their budding interracial romance and turmoils. The
dialogue is realistic and engaging, with the exception of the coupling scene.
Kwame annoyed the hell out of me, and if I had been Gwen, I would have
disappeared for good. At any rate the twists in the plot are extreme and lead
Gwen to face her own demons. The fight scene was pretty awesome and revealed a
lot more than I was expecting. The result took a surprisingly logical turn that
I found satisfying. I would be interested in reading other books in this
series.
FYI:
River
Spell is book 4 in Ms. Sieders Southern Elemental Guardians series, but it can
be read as a standalone. There are several F-bombs dropped, so if that word
offends you, this book may not be a good fit for you.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I found a small number proofing errors. They consisted of missing,
extra, or wrong words
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000 words
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